Teachers’ contract settled, 5 to go

Former superintendent Thomas Pandiscio retired on Dec. 15, but is continuing as the contract negotiator with the Wachusett Regional School District’s eight bargaining units. Six of the contracts were set to expire on June 30.

During an executive session in October, the committee approved having Pandiscio continue to negotiate the contracts after his retirement date, at a stipend of $3,000 per contract paid after the contracts were ratified and signed by the union and the school committee.

He completed the teachers’ contract before his retirement, but that left the Wachusett Administrators Association, Teamsters/aides, applied behavioral analysis program assistants, clerical workers and cafeteria workers contracts to be completed before the end of this school year, according to district human resources director Susan Sullivan.

“The school committee hired him as he had experience and Tony [interim superintendent Anthony Gasbarro, hired Dec. 16] did not,” Sullivan noted. She said hiring a labor relations attorney to “get up to speed” to complete the contracts would be costly, as Pandiscio had done all the contract negotiating since he became superintendent in 2005. His predecessor, superintendent Alfred Tutela, also negotiated contracts with the unions.

As of March 13, Pandiscio had received payment for the completion of the administrators’ contract, and the Teamsters/aides contract was nearly complete, Sullivan said.

“I believe this [Pandiscio’s role as negotiator] will end at the end of this [school] year,” Sullivan said, “The next superintendent [yet unhired, scheduled to take office on July 1] will then take the reins. Whether or not he/she does the negotiating will be between the school committee and the superintendent.”

WRSDC chair Duncan Leith said last week that the $3,000 per contract stipend was approved by the school committee when balancing it against the $200 per hour fee that would be charged by the Boston-area labor lawyer the committee has retained.

“The $200 per hour charge starts from the time the attorney leaves home until they return,” Leith said. “It wouldn’t take long to reach $3,000.

“He’s done well with the negotiations,” Leith said of Pandiscio. “We’re a little below the middle/ average teachers’ pay rate in the state.”

He said Gasbarro, who was a Rutland elementary school principal prior to being named interim superintendent, doesn’t have the labor relations experience to take over union negotiating.